News, reviews, and how-tos: Make the most of your Mac

There have been several recent instances of Apple releasing products that have flaws that are found in a found in a few days by civilians in the wired community. Although this is the kind of practice that is expected from other companies, the recent rush to market of Apple products is undermining confidence with those users who rely on Apple quality the most those without the technical skills or desire to solve or remedy the problem.

Bungie Software (www.bungie.net) has recently re-released two of their most popular games: Myth: The Fallen Lords, and its sequel, Myth II: Soulblighter, in one package. They threw in the strategy guides for both games, as well as added some of the content that has been created since the original release, and called the 3 CD compilation Myth: The Total Codex.

Hi, and welcome to this new column. Each week we will be offering tips/tricks and how to’s that will help make your Mac easier and more productive to use. This week we have four (4) tips for you. So sit back, get ready to take notes, ‘cause here we go.

I think that Bill Gates sometimes looks up the phone numbers of his high school tormentors. I bet he calls them occasionally to gloat whenever he feels like getting back at them for all the atomic wedgies. I can just see it now.

I don’t have many sympathies for Microsoft. On a big scale, I find their business tactics questionable at best. Their attempts to make industry standards proprietary betray a bully mentality, and I don’t believe for one second that they didn’t use their OS dominance to push their own browser and office package.

Last time we talked about the affect that OSX MIGHT have on Apple, its customer base, and the rest of the computing world. I received many thoughtful E-mail messages regarding this column and my conclusions and I would like to thank those who took the time to write. I also received some not so thoughtful E-mail messages.

When Adobe shipped InDesign 1.0 last year, it was pretty much agreed that Quark still had a pretty good grasp of the design and print publishing markets. Adobe settled that notion today, as they’re shipping version 1.5 the week of March 29th.Read More

Wow! Logitech’s Optical Wheel Mouse is the absolute nicest input device I’ve seen in the ten years that I’ve used the Mac. In fact, I’d place it higher than any other mouse in the world — certainly ten times better than Apple’s notorious puck mouse.

It is I, your Shareware God, back to this mortal coil. And not a moment too soon, it would seem. Forgive the tardiness of your Dutiful Digital Deity, but I was busy being held prisoner in the nether regions of that most foul and horrid of underworld grottos — we’re talking the TENTH plane of Hell here folks — the Microsoft Pro Developers’ Conference 2000 in Orlando. Please insert whatever sound you make when an evil chill runs down your spine.

I have the opportunity to work with a Mac at home and a Win98 lab at work. I was only exposed to the Win98 way of doing things eight months ago; during this time, I’ve gone through several evolutionary changes, summing up to one epiphany: I know why geeks hate the Mac.